Kill Your Heroes
by SunshineGirl09
Summary: I'm six months out of the Konoha-Intelligance-Agency Academy, and the threat of chemical warfare is the least of my worries when I'm partnered with Hyuuga Neji. [NejiTen spy AU]
1. Part I

_"I say you kill your heroes and_  
 _Fly, fly, baby don't cry._  
 _No need to worry cause_  
 _Everybody will die."_

We run for our lives. I think back to training in the Academy where, apart from Rock Lee's unbelievable record, I was the fastest sprinter. However, it's hard to keep the same pace I managed at only thirty seconds for ten minutes. Things get complicated.

Apart from my lungs on the verge of collapsing, Hyuuga runs along with me, growing more hostile with every step, his long, black hair flowing behind him. I don't know which is worse: evading a deadly explosion or dealing with my easily vexed teammate.

"This is _your_ fault," he grunts at me.

Before I respond, I happily take in the glorious moment- Neji almost too out of breath to speak.

"Don't you ever get tired of blaming me?" I manage to ask, ignoring the fact that I'm more winded than he is.

We run on the darkened streets of Konoha. The pavement glistens from the previous rainfall, and the sound of our feet slamming into the ground echoes. Rising above that sound, however, is the screeching of wheels.

The gun and pouch at my waist didn't seem heavy initially, but the weight pulls me down now.

"Well, it _is_ your fault," he continues with extreme effort. "If you hadn't driven the car into the river-"

"I had no choice!" I cut him off as we round a corner down an even darker alley. The car on our heels roars louder with each second that passes.

"There's always a choice," Neji argues, panting considerably. "And you always pick the wrong one!"

Suddenly, the path in front of us clears as a beam of light shines past us. Our shadows dance along the brick walls lining the narrow road. The car barrels down the street in a terrifying, deafening manner.

"How can it fit?" I demand, turning my head around to briefly witness the side mirrors snap off as the car hurtles toward us.

"Don't look back, idiot," Neji hisses.

We've been partners for six months now, and Neji still hasn't found a better nickname for me other than idiot. It's alright, though. I settle with a better one for him. Bastard. He doesn't necessarily respect me, but I don't care about that. I'm only concerned with carrying out these missions exactly as Lady Tsunade wants. It's _her_ respect I care about- not some self-absorbed, prodigious boy.

Just because I've only been out of the Academy for only six months doesn't mean I shouldn't receive respect.

A drawling, unamused voice comes in through my ear piece.

"What the fuck are you two idiots doing?" Shikamaru drawls on the line. "Trying to outrun a car? In approximately twelve seconds you will be overrun. You're lucky the alley is slowing it down."

"Shikamaru, you-"

"Easy, Tenten," he says. "I'm getting you guys out. Turn left at the next possible turn and climb the fence."

The car runs so close that the humming of the engine is ingrained into my eardrums.

Just as we tear left, it shoots past us, screeching to a halt at what I assume is a wall. However, it's my concern no longer.

Neji and I quickly scale the fence, feeling around in the dark for barbed wire and jumping over to land gracefully on the pavement.

My legs burn and my feet sting, but we run again until the sound of the persistent car fades away into oblivion.

"Tenten, why _did_ you drive the car into the river?"

We sit in Tsunade's spacious office to provide the review of our -failed- mission. She doesn't seem angry, actually. Just genuinely confused as to why I drove the car into the river.

"Because she's an _idiot_."

"Zip it, Hyuuga," Tsunade snaps at him.

Had someone else spoken that way to Neji, I may have snickered. However, Tsunade's temper frightens me more than an irritated Hyuuga.

Tsunade's blond hair is pulled back into loose pigtails and her black blazer is disheveled, as if she got into a scuffle with one of the agents (which is not unlikely). She sits forward at her desk, her hands clasped together.

"We were completely out of options," I explain. "We were cornered. If I had gone any other direction, there would surely be civilian casualties, not to mention a lengthy car chase."

Tsunade's eyebrow twitches.

"I understand your reasoning, Tenten," she responds. "However, I _did_ like that car."

Neji and I say nothing. I quickly glance in his direction, and he's sitting completely straight in his chair, still wearing all black, pale eyes facing forward. Although, I did get a suspicious feeling he felt my gaze.

"I understand that you two are tired. It's almost midnight. We can finish this session tomorrow. You are dismissed."

We stiffly get up from our chairs. I realize that I'm going to feel fucking miserable tomorrow morning when I wake.

Once we exit Tsunade's office, the arguing continues.

"It was still a stupid decision," Neji goes on.

We strut side-by-side down the long, steel corridor that leads away from Tsunade's office and into the analyst headquarters.

"You didn't offer a better option, Hyuuga," I remark. "Besides, I didn't see _you_ do anything to prevent that situation anyway."

Neji's arms are stubbornly crossed.

"Maybe if you hadn't been _lusting_ after our target, we may have succeeded."

" _Excuse me,_ " I hotly replied. "There is a difference between lusting and noticing someone attractive."

"You're gross."

I smirked, enjoying Neji's discomfort.

"Just because Deidara is attractive doesn't mean you can be jealous," I taunt, knowing this will irk him the most.

"Tenten, you're the most-"

"You two are _stupid_ ," Shikamaru informs us, removing his headset.

We look in his direction as we enter the analyst headquarters, a vast room filled with powerful computers and large monitors.

He stares up at us from his perched position in the chair at his desk.

"Yeah, well, thanks for bailing us out," I tell him, too exhausted to argue at this point.

It's embarrassing to come back to the KIA headquarters after a failed mission. The expression on Tsunade's face is disheartening, and the large board of missions always displays the outcomes of failures and successes. Everyone knows.

Shikamaru yawns.

"It's troublesome to stay at work this late. You two always keep me up," he complains. "Such a drag."

I hardly notice that Neji leaves.

"And a word of advice," Shikamaru adds before I turn to leave. "You two always arguing during missions won't make you anymore successful or any _less_ annoying to _me_."

I rub my eyes with the palm of my hand.

"I'll keep that in mind next time he insults me."

I then leave to meet Sakura for my post-mission check up. She resides in the medic wing of the building, which is completely white, apart from the red words on the walls and signs.

When I find her she's napping on a cot next to a wall. It's so peaceful that I don't wish to wake her. But the sooner I do, the sooner we both get to go home and sleep.

"Sakura," I whisper, shaking her shoulder gently.

"Wha- Tenten, you're finally here!" She shoots upward and glances around to make sure no one witnessed her nap.

"Yeah," I reply. "Sorry about keeping you here late."

"There's nothing we can do about that," Sakura answers. "Besides, I don't mind."

She's wearing the white, medic dress, with her pink hair tied back in a loose ponytail. I watch her slide on her transparent gloves. While she does a quick exam of my body and searches for injuries, I notice the apparent bags beneath her eyes.

"Really, Sakura," I say. "When have you last slept?"

Sakura rolls up my pants and feels around my legs.

"It's been a while since I've had really good sleep but-"

"Sasuke hasn't come back yet, has he?" I interrupt.

She's silent and shakes her head.

I knew that may have been the case. I never understood _why_ she cared about him so much. He kind of strikes an uncomfortable resemblance with Neji, actually, which puts me off. However, there is obvious history between Sasuke and Sakura, the details unclear to me, but it is surely the reason she can't sleep until he comes back from his mission.

"He always makes it back," I inform her, even though my empty words hold little comfort for her.

"I know," she half-heartedly says. "It doesn't matter for you, Tenten. Please, go home and rest. I can tell you're immensely exhausted."

I sigh in agreement.

"No arguing there."

I roll down my black sleeves and pant legs. The outfit is becoming more suffocating the longer I stay in it. _Breathability my ass._

I leave all my weapons in a locker at the KIA. I don't like bringing them home because it's like taking work with me. The gun locked away in my room is enough.

My apartment is ridiculously dark when I arrive around half past midnight. I try to drop my key on the counter but it misses, falling somewhere on the floor. Groaning, I slump away into the living room onto the couch. Without thinking, I grab the remote in the cracks of the cushions and turn the television on.

Of course, it's already breaking news. The destruction caused by the mission crosses the pixels of the screen and bore into my eyes.

Tsunade hates media coverage. Neji and I will definitely hear about this tomorrow. Neji…

I shut the television off in annoyance, standing up. Trying to keep my partner out of my mind, I start stripping my clothes as I walk to my bed.

After tripping a few times over things all over the floor, I managed to pick up my sweatshirt off the ground. I shove it over my head and walk into the bathroom.

The light is uncomfortably bright, and I'm forced to look at my hideous reflection in the mirror. My makeup is smudged, my buns are falling out of their ties, and my face is cut up and dirty.

"Why," I mumble to myself. "Do I look like fucking shit?"

After scrubbing my face and brushing my teeth I attempt to tame my hair out of the buns, but I barely manage to undo the ties; so, in the end I tie it all back into a single bun. That'll have to do.

I collapse into my unmade bed and entangle myself amongst the messy sheets. Sleep is impossible after missions. I constantly think about what I could have done differently and wonder why Neji and I can't work as a team. It baffles me. I never had issues working with anyone else.

Hell, back in the Academy I partnered up with almost everyone at one point, and it always worked. What is it that is so resilient in Neji? He may possess excellent skills, especially in close-combat, but teamwork is so essential in the life of an agent; and he cannot work in a team.

Turning over, I realize that sleeping wouldn't come easily tonight. I groaned at that thought, dreading the early morning training tomorrow.

I arrive at the KIA around 7 am, my hair still wet from my early shower. It drips on my grey tee shirt and cools my face, along with the crisp morning air. My legs are uncomfortably sore from the excessive running the day before.

When I arrive at the steel entrance, I pull out my ID and use it to unlock the door. Once inside, I punch in a number code to get through a second door. Then, I continue on through the steel hallway, nodding at the security guards.

Analysts who have just finished their night shift walk out as I enter. They look beyond tired. I don't blame them, considering their shifts are usually twelve hours.

I check our schedule loaded in a computer in the analyst headquarters. In the morning I train with Neji for three hours. Then, I must discuss our failed mission further with Tsunade. After that, we need to plan for another attempt to capture Deidara. Following that, I'm listed as back-up for any agents currently in the field.

The room we must train in is small compared to the others, and it is also the farthest from the analyst headquarters.

As I walk there, I run into Sakura on the way. She holds a mug of coffee carefully in her hands and close to her lips.

"You're here early…" I say, eyeing her suspiciously. "Don't tell me you stayed all night?"

Sakura shamefully takes a sip from her mug.

"Sakura…" I moan in annoyance. "You can't do that. Uchiha is fine."

"You don't know that, Tenten," Sakura argues, her green eyes watering. "I know you're trying to make me feel better with those empty words. But it makes me feel worse."

"Sorry," I quickly apologize. "But you can't sacrifice your health while he's gone. He wouldn't want that, and it's pointless."

Sakura sighs, accepting defeat with my argument. She looks me sadly in the eye.

"You don't understand because you're not in love," she informs me. "I wish I wasn't because everything would be easier, and I wouldn't be doing these stupid things. However, I can't just stop loving him."

My eyes soften. I feel genuinely bad for her. Love is a weakness agents can't afford. I doubt Uchiha feels the same way about her, unless he doesn't show it. Part of me wants him to reciprocate because it would make Sakura happy. Yet, if something devastating happens to him (which is not uncommon in our profession), Sakura will be destroyed forever.

"You're right," I remark. "I don't understand. I just want you to go home, take a hot shower, and sleep all day."

Sakura nods.

"What other medics will be here today?" I ask, hoping Sakura will get a break.

"Ino is coming," Sakura explains.

"Good," I say. "Let Yamanaka take over lead medic and go home."

Wordlessly, Sakura nods and follows my advice. I don't keep my eyes off her until she disappears around a corner in the opposite direction. Then, I continue walking to the indoor training ground.

Neji is already there, of course, when I arrive. He's panting heavily, surrounded by targets embedded with kunai.

The room consists of soft grey walls and black tile floor.

"You're late."

"Well, Hyuuga, I was talking to Sakura. Besides, you seem to have needed some alone time."

"Hm."

I notice that not all the targets have been hit dead center. Some of them are off by even a few inches. To most people that would seem minuscule, but to me it makes all the difference. I know that long-range fighting is his weakness, while it's my strength.

Normally, I wouldn't comment but, after last night's failed mission, just looking at his long hair tied back irritates me.

"You _could_ improve your aim," I advise him.

He eyes me from the center of the room.

"I don't need your help."

I shrug my shoulders and walk closer to him. Wearing a grey tee shirt and black spandex shorts, I strap a pouch with weapons at my waist. Once I meet him in the center, I flicker a glance at all the targets, mentally marking their positions.

"Move," I tell him.

Without even warming up my muscles this early in the morning, I bend slightly and widen my stance. Then, I reach into the pouch at my waist and pull out the kunai, taking four in each hand. With outstanding precision, I hit every mark, even knocking out the few Neji managed to get on the bullseye.

There's no way Neji can claim I'm a show off, because that's exactly what he is.

"Don't get cocky because your aim is good," he says calmly. "Your hand to hand combat is still weak."

This is true. Neji's hand to hand combat is deadly. In fact, it would be suicide for me to go against him. I think that's why we're teamed together- a long range and short range specialty pair.

"True," I agree.

I pause and then add, in a mimicking tone, "But don't get cocky, Hyuuga, because you still can't hit a bullseye every time."

"Close combat is more important," Neji argues, turning away with folded arms.

"They're both important," I protest. "You just don't like it because I'm _better_ than you at something."

He sighs at my claim. His long hair is tied up messily in a bun that hangs just below his neck, and he's sweating profusely at only half past seven. This suggests he has been here longer than I think, practicing his aim. Therefore, he thinks long range aim _is_ more important than he lets on.

I keep quiet about this thought.

"Fine," I say. "After I warm up let's practice hand to hand combat."

Neji silently agrees.

I stretch for about fifteen minutes and then take the next ten minutes to jog around the edge of the room at a medium pace. I finish by sprinting the length of the room a few times until my body is satisfyingly warm.

Neji knows my routine well, and he looks in my direction when I finish the sprints. Before approaching him, I tightly tie my hair in a long ponytail.

"Prepare yourself," he says quietly.

I nod. Usually, I would joke that he should go easy on me. I'm not really in the mood for that, though.

He makes the first move because he knows I'm scared to. Even after training with him for sixth months, I'm still uncomfortable sparring with him. His close combat training is terrifying.

Predictably, his right hand comes straight for my chest. I block with my forearm, taking a step back. With my other hand, I try to reach his stomach. He clamps onto my forearm with his right hand and pulls me in, trying to land a hit on my abdomen.

In fear, I move my torso back just inches to avoid that crucial hit. Fighting with him always consists of close calls.

I finally manage to free my forearm of his tight grip.

For the next few minutes, neither of us are able to land hits on each other. My arms hurt immensely after taking so much pressure from Neji's attacks, and my legs are sore from yesterday. So, I switch momentarily to using my knee as a block.

As usual, Neji always ends up backing me into a wall, even if we start in the center of the room. His attacks are just too powerful and precise.

Just as I get close to the wall, I block his hand with both of my forearms, ducking at the same time in case my arms aren't enough for the pressure of his attack.

His fist breaks through my block and slams into the wall. I take this moment of surprise and swipe at his feet with my leg. He takes few steps back, which at least takes me away from the wall.

The moment of relief is brief.

After another few minutes, I'm backed against the wall once more with Neji's palm against my neck, his face just inches from mine. His pale, lavender eyes are framed by lose strands of black hair.

"You lose."

I narrow my eyes, pushing his palm away with my hand.

"I prefer constructive criticism," I mumble, trying to pry lose pieces of my hair that stick to my face in sweat.

"I've seen you do worse," Neji admits. "But I think you just know my attacks too well."

I can't argue with his logic- it's correct. It's hard to admit that I barely survived simply because I know the style of his attacks well. Truly, it's annoying, but I can't compare to his level of close combat training.

We train a little longer, and I don't improve because I'm already tired.

Around 10 am Tsunade walks in on us. Typically, Neji has me backed into the wall _again_. Even worse, I'm on the ground. Perfect timing, I think, as I close my eyes in embarrassment.

"Hey," she says. "We have a problem."

She stands by the door in her black slacks, white dress shirt, and blazer, paired with red high heels as usual.

Neji looks down at me and then turns toward her. He's about to walk away, but I clear my throat.

"Hyuuga," I grumble, holding out my hand. It's always common courtesy for the winner to help the loser up after sparring.

Reluctantly, Neji takes my hand and pulls me up with ease. He doesn't make eye contact, and his hand leaves mine quickly.

We approach Tsunade as she shakes her head.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

I don't like the look on her face- concern. When Tsunade is concerned something is seriously wrong. Suddenly, I feel nervous.

"It's Uchiha," she explains. "He hasn't come back. We need to send out a rescue mission."

The feeling in my stomach evolves into something sickening. Great. When I tell Sakura everything is going to be okay, it won't be. I can't imagine the way she'll react when she finds out that Sasuke hasn't come back.

"It's officially been twenty four hours since we've last communicated with him," Tsunade continues. "This is bad."

How are we supposed to tell Sakura, on her day off, that Sasuke is MIA?

"Will we be deployed?" Neji asks calmly.

Tsunade nods.

"I want you guys to rest up for a few hours and prepare. I'm going to assemble a rescue team, but I haven't thought out all of the details yet."

Her face contorts in irritation. She must be wondering how one of her most elite agents can go missing so easily. Although Uchiha is merely twenty two years old, he's nearly a prodigy in simple terms.

Another worrying thought comes to my mind.

"Lady Tsunade," I begin. "Who will you place as medic on the team?"

Tsunade immediately understands my implication.

"I don't know," she sighs. "Haruno definitely has more field experience than Yamanaka, but her personal feelings in the matter may complicate things. I'm still thinking about it."

I nod in agreement.

Neji bows his head.

"If I may go prepare, Lady Tsuande-"

"Of course," Tsunade responds.

Neji walks over to a rack on the wall and pulls off a white towel, wiping down his face and neck, cleaning of the sweat. He puts the towel on his shoulders and sets his loose bun over it, then walks out of the room.

"How are you two doing?" Tsunade wonders.

I sigh.

"Well," I respond. "I guess we're a little better. We manage. He's just very closed off. It's always hard to connect with him."

Tsunade folds her arms.

"I know," she agrees. "But if you two can form a good partnership you'll be a deadly pair. Keep working on it."

With that she leaves me alone. I stand in the training room, my long ponytail clinging to my shoulders and neck with sweat. I follow Neji's example and pat down my whole face and neck. Then, I grab my water bottle and drink the entire contents.

This is why my job is hard. I'm twenty one years old, and I'm constantly stressed. If it's not _my_ life I'm worried about, it's a team member's. I can't imagine myself doing anything else, but at the same time I almost wish I was normal. When your life is on the line almost all the time you approach things differently. There's always a mentality that says "this is the last time I may…" and it's _stressful as fuck._

When I leave the training room I only think about Sakura. I know I'll never forgive myself if I don't tell her the situation. However, if I do tell her she will not take no for an answer. She _will_ go on the mission no matter what. She's stubborn but _I guess she's in love_.

I run into Shikamaru on my way to the locker room.

"Yo," he says to me with a yawn. "You hear the news?"

"About Uchiha? Yes."

"Troublesome," Shikamaru mumbles. "I had to get called into work because Tsunade assigned me as the lead analyst."

His arms are folded. He's wearing a wrinkled, white dress shirt with slacks. I can tell he picked them out of his laundry basket this morning.

"Yeah, Neji and I are assigned to the field team," I remark.

Shikamaru looks at me in a funny manner.

"You nervous?" He asks. "You look worried."

I look to the side at the steel walls.

"It's Sakura," I answer. "I'm worried about her. This is Sasuke, and she's at home, not knowing."

Shikamaru looks confused.

"You mean she's not going to be assigned as a field medic?"

"Probably not," I remark. "Because her personal feelings in the matter."

"Then who's going?"

"Yamanaka," I answer.

"Ino can't- it's an elite mission!"

I almost step back. I've never heard Shikamaru raise his voice before. He also looks genuinely concerned.

"She's just as capable as Sakura," I argue. "They've both had field training and have been fine out there before."

Shikamaru shakes his head.

"If Sasuke couldn't finish his mission…this is serious business."

I nod grimly at his analysis, also thinking about his secret concern for Ino. I was never aware of it before, but it now makes sense that he's always been looking out for her.

We separate, and I head to the locker room.

I change into tight black pants and a sleeveless black shirt. After the skintight clothes are situated, I secure my weapons around my hips and waist. Then, I adjust my hair in its ponytail, pulling it firmly. To finish, I apply my waterproof mascara, just in case I happen to drive _another_ car into the river. Before leaving I grab my black gloves and slam my locker shut.

An hour later, Tsunade calls the team in. It consists of: Hyuuga Neji, Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba, Yamanaka Ino, and me as field agents, and Nara Shikamaru and Hyuuga Hinata as analysts.

"Uchiha was assigned to follow a lead on Orochimaru's possible hideout," Tsunade begins. "The last communication we received from him informed us that he had a lead, but his tracker is missing, and he's completely off the grid. We haven't heard a word from him in over twenty four hours. Your jobs are simple: find Sasuke and bring him back."

We sit around a conference table with folders in front of us, laying out the background information that we'll need to know. I always admire Tsunade for her ability to put together missions so quickly in desperate times.

I glance over at Shikamaru, who gazes at Ino with concern. I feel bad that Ino is danger, but at the same time would Sakura be any better? I wish she at least knew this was happening, though.

Naruto is the most irritated, completely in disbelief. He doesn't think Sasuke could be captured so easily.

Neji, on the other hand, shows no emotion. His eyes are closed, and his hands are folded on top of the folder. I wonder if we'll stick close to each other during the mission. Apart from Lee, who is in the hospital for leg injuries, I'm the only one who trains with Neji. His only shot at teamwork is with me.

I sigh, returning my gaze to the report in front of me. Shikamaru was right: this is troublesome.

 **Author's Note: I was inspired? This won't be a super long fic, like short to medium length. I just really wanted some cliche spy au. I am trash. Here.**


	2. Part II

_"Never let your fear decide your fate"_

Tsunade always makes missions sound easier than they are. At least, she never highlights what the difficult part is: teamwork. We discuss the unlikeliness of infiltrating the hideout undetected, retrieving Sasuke, and returning alive- not to mention escaping the hideout itself. Getting out is always trickier than getting in. However, this doesn't compare to the difficulty of working together.

Especially with Neji on the team, teamwork will not be easy. I can't imagine him working with an obnoxious Naruto and loud Kiba if he can't work with me. And _I'm_ easy to deal with.

We sit at the conference table discussing the mission, and Naruto already proves to be a problem. He's completely hostile to any ideas that don't involve barging in with sheer force. His blonde hair is spiked upwards with astonishing resistance to gravity, while he bobs his head with every word he speaks.

"This is Sasuke we're talking about," Naruto growls. "We gotta get him as fast as possible. I say we show up -guns blazing- and shoot everyone until we find him."

"Don't be an idiot," Shikamaru retorts. "Subtly is key. We're not going to get in if we're discovered within the first minute."

"What are we waiting for?" Naruto hisses. "We don't have time to discuss this!"

While those two are partners, I never realized how much Naruto cares about Sasuke. To me, it always seems that two somewhat hate each other, although their teamwork on missions prevails uninhibited. There must be a special bond that I always fail to see.

Sighing, I realize Neji and I may never share such a bond.

I sift through the pages in the folder in front of me. They include Uchiha's statistics- which I already know, and information about where he was last tracked, where he was headed, and his initial time of departure.

Additionally, it provides information on Orochimaru, whom we suspect is concealing weapons of mass destruction. He's responsible for the embezzlement of millions of dollars and the smuggling of immense quantities illegal goods. Essentially, he's Konoha's most wanted.

Uchiha's mission wasn't to capture him- just to scout for his hideout. At this point, we can assume he found it.

I silently thank Hinata for being assigned the second analyst because she manages to calm Naruto down by providing snacks and quiet words of wisdom.

Once Naruto is subdued, we finish discussing the plan.

Neji and I will lead, Naruto and Kiba will follow, guarding Ino.

We drive to the location of Sasuke's last sighting, Neji behind the wheel because he "doesn't trust" me. I scoff in the passenger's seat, noticing the car is not nearly as nice as the one we drove last time. Tsunade most likely did that on purpose.

Ino looks nervous. She keeps touching her earpiece. I wonder if it's because she knows that Shikamaru is on the other side, comforting her. Sitting between Naruto and Kiba in the backseat, she shuffles her feet.

I hear the heavy panting of Kiba's trained dog in the back of the car.

I look briefly at Neji's pale hands on the steering wheel. They seem calm. It's almost soothing. His hair is tied back into a loose bun again, and he wears the typical black attire.

When we arrive, it's nearly eight pm and dark. A subtle late summer breeze blows. We're in the outskirts of Konoha. Run down apartments and grimy, dim streetlights line the narrow road. It's not the place you think of to raise your children.

We exit the car, shutting the doors carefully. Kiba releases his excited dog, which immediately starts sniffing the ground. Kiba exposed him to Sasuke's scent earlier. Hopefully, that will help us find him.

Thanks to my training with Neji earlier in the day, my muscles are loosened up. Unfortunately, there's still a dull ache in my legs, but nothing I can't ignore.

Neji and I scan the area for suspicious activity while the others stretch out their muscles.

"Do you see anything?" I ask him.

He narrows his eyes, pulling out binoculars.

"Not yet."

We spread out and crane our necks, searching for anything that may provide us a lead. I only conclude that everything looks the same. The buildings are equally shitty, and the full length of the road is cracked.

After about twenty minutes, we decide to change locations. However, with sudden movement, Neji thrusts his hand up, motioning us to stop.

His eyes seem strained behind the binoculars, fixated on something in the near distance.

"What is it?" I whisper to him.

"See for yourself."

He hands me the binoculars, and I peer through them, catching the faint image of a red and black cloak disappearing into a building.

"Deidara," I mutter.

Neji clicks his tongue in agreement.

We quickly inform the others.

"So, that's where Sasuke is!" Naruto shouts.

Neji clamps his hand on Naruto's mouth in annoyance, while Kiba smacks him on the head.

"Smart idea," Shikamaru groans through our earpieces. "Let's just give our positions away within a minute of discovering the hideout. Literally what did I say earlier?"

I shake my head, hoping Naruto didn't just kill us all.

"Shikamaru, Hinata…can you guys check out that building approximately 50 meters away?" I ask.

"Yeah," Shikamaru answers.

Nervously, I watch the building in which Deidara disappeared. Nothing suspicious comes to mind from the immediate design. It looks the same as the other buildings around it, but an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach ascends- a bad feeling.

Moments later Shikamaru and Hinata reply in unison, "It's encrypted."

"Isn't that why you're here?" Ino speaks up, placing one hand on her hip and the other to her earpiece.

"Yeah, yeah, woman," Shikamaru remarks. "We're on it."

"Don't call me that," Ino huffs in annoyance.

All of her blonde hair is pulled into a tight ponytail, even the strip that she usually allows to hang loose. Her blue eyes shimmer in the moonlight- or are they watery? She sports a tight, yet flexible black dress with wrappings around her legs at the thigh level. Her pouch around her waist is larger than mine, for it carries medical supplies as well as weapons.

Medical agents are trained extensively for the field, but they don't tend to have the same experience, which is definitely the reason she's so nervous.

Despite her obvious uneasiness, she seems prepared for whatever we may encounter. Her left hand lingers near the immediate kunai at her waist.

"There's only one entrance," Shikamaru informs us.

We all groan in response. That complicates everything. One way in, one way out. If that's blocked, there's no way out.

Upon Shikamaru's instruction, we cautiously approach the building. The only way in is through a cellar door. It's damp and wooden, easily compromised.

"Behind it is thumbprint security," Hinata says.

"Great," Kiba groans, petting his dog Akamaru lightly.

Neji says nothing, continuing to look at the door with his head tilted.

"Just wait," Shikamaru says. "I'm going to try to hack it."

We don't even attempt to lift the latch that will reveal the screen for thumbprint recognition. In unknown situations like this it's best to leave things alone. Besides, simple thumbprint security is nothing Shikamaru can't handle.

It takes him a few minutes but he manages to get the door open. The skills of our analysts never cease to amaze me. Their training not only includes the computer skills but also field skills, making them more qualified than anyone.

Once a small beam of light beneath the latch illuminates faintly, we know Shikamaru's infiltration succeeds.

I allow Neji to enter first. He grasps the handles of the door with both hands and pulls, receiving slight resistance. Slowly, they creak open.

"Shikamaru, is it safe to enter?" Neji asks.

"I think so," Shikamaru responds with caution. "At the moment nothing seems wrong about the design, but I'm still studying the system. Hinata?"

After a generous pause, Hinata adds, "Something is weird about the floor layout. It's designed as if it's interchangeable, but it's there, right?"

Neji flicks on a small flashlight, revealing that the floor indeed extends out in front of us. It's tan and stone, stretching out infinitely and lined with dark walls. Without the flashlight, we'd be completely blind going in.

"They can't just walk in here without lights," I slowly say, thinking out loud.

"Either way," Neji remarks, taking his eyes off the stone and looking at me. "We better not mess with anything looking for a lightswitch. We don't know what kind of traps exist."

Behind us Naruto grows impatient. With a massive thrust, he pushes the two of us forward, growling about us "taking forever".

That's when things start to go wrong. The moment our feet touch the stone, we feel a shift.

The floor beneath us rumbles, and we're not quick enough to avoid the catastrophe. Neji and I fall through the opening, leaving behind the rest of our team. After it swallows us up it closes, and we fall.

The two of us land with a crunch. We didn't fall from a deadly height, but it's enough to hurt my limbs with a throbbing burn. We scramble upwards, surrounded by darkness, apart from the small light flickering from Neji's flashlight.

Neji's face suddenly illuminates as he directs the flashlight between us.

"Fucking Naruto," he growls. "Now they're alone up there."

I nod in agreement.

The light reveals a long, stone corridor before us. Something eerie drips down the walls, a thick, black liquid that seeps into the floors. I wonder if it's some sketchy adhesive for the stones.

Fear creeps into me silently. I hardly notice that with every minute I become more frightened.

"Focus," Neji lowly mutters.

We both take out our guns at the same time. Mine shakes in my hand, so I spend time to coax it out of its tremors.

It seems nearly impossible that we'll find Sasuke in this darkness. The flashlight hardly lights the path in front of us, and it makes me wonder if there's some thickener in the air that stifles the light.

"Are you guys okay?" Shikamaru asks.

"Yeah," I respond. "We're fine. Can you tell us where to go?"

"Everything's encrypted. I'm working as fast as I can. You're going to have to give me a minute."

"Are the others alright?" I inquire as Neji and I slowly take a step forward.

"Yeah," Shikamaru answers. "Akamaru is leading the way for them. I'm going to assume they'll find Sasuke. You two just need to focus on getting out."

We let Shikamaru get to work and continue forward. I'm nervous at the thought of finding a way out. If that's our only concern, we're screwed. Judging from the tone in Shikamaru's voice, it doesn't seem like an easy task.

"Do we have a plan?" I wonder.

"Find Uchiha," Neji answers.

I'm relieved that even Neji can't think of a way out. For once, we're on the same page, although I wouldn't necessarily mind if he had some egotistical, brilliant plan up his sleeve.

A faint buzzing vibrates a small distance in front of us. Wordlessly, we follow it. It leads us to a steel door, where the source of the noise echoes.

"I'm going in first," Neji informs me. "You follow behind. We don't know what's in there. So, you should find a perched position if possible and cover me."

I nod. Surprisingly, Neji and I are communicating well on this mission. I wonder if it's because there's a teammate's life on the line.

He checks his surroundings, including the corners to his right and left before walking in.

I wait a good twenty seconds after he enters before following.

The room is dark, but a faint green light glows in the middle, providing a enough light to see where we go. The buzzing echoes slightly louder, as well. Neji approaches the light while I search for something to climb on. I glance upwards, noticing that the entire ceiling is lined with a pipe system. It's intricate and definitely carrying poisonous gas with my luck, but it's the only chance I have for a higher position.

I use the corner of the room to push off and leap into the air. My fingers clasp around a thick, steel pipe above me. I hang for a few seconds, testing if it will hold my weight and adjusting the slipperiness of the material. Then, I swing my legs up and slither the rest of my body through the pipes.

After I somewhat comfortably sit up, with one knee propped and the other resting on the pipe, I find Neji observing the green glow closely. I maneuver through the pipes to get a better view, trying my best not to slip and bust something, risking the release of a chemical that will more than likely kill me.

And then I hear something. Someone else is up in the pipes. I approach Neji closer, almost so I'm directly above him. Frantically, I search the perimeter for anyone up here. I don't want to risk turning my flashlight on and giving away my position, but I also know that if I don't find the person quickly, Neji and I may instantly be assassinated.

Suddenly, I see it. Up in the pipes, there's a sliver of the same green glow, barely illuminating someone concealed in a black cloak, holding three long needles. The tips of the needles are the reason for the glow, shining ominously.

I don't think. Immediately, I give up my position and leap toward Neji. It's a stupid decision, one a seasoned agent wouldn't make, but I did.

"Hyuuga, look out!"

The needles embed themselves in my leg just as I reach Neji, with a forceful and painful thud.

I'm surprised my name leaves his lips, but that thought quickly dissipates as the pain in my leg increases and my foot goes numb. Standing quickly becomes disagreeable.

"What did you see?" Neji demands.

I turn slowly, so he witnesses the needles planted in my left thigh.

"Tenten, you're-"

Suddenly, I lose all feeling in my calves, and it slowly creeps up to my thighs. I crumple to the ground, my attempts to stand failing.

"Neji, I can't feel my legs!" I scream in a panicked voice.

"Why did you-"

Neji is interrupted by invasive, hysterical laughing from up in the pipes.

The numbness spreads up my waist and through my arms. I'm slowly becoming paralyzed. Before I completely fall over onto the stone floor, Neji's arms wrap around my shoulders and pull me up.

At this point, I can only move my head. I continue panicking. At this rate, I won't be able to move anything, and I don't know if there's a cure.

"I can't move. I can't move. I-"

"Calm down," Neji whispers in my ear, which ceases my whining. "Why did you do that, Tenten?"

I know what he's thinking. _Why did you save me?_

"I don't know," I admit, panting. "My body just moved. I wasn't thinking."

"Clearly," he says, but I see that his hand clenches my shoulder more tightly, and his eyes are narrowed, revealing his frustration.

I think he may actually be worried.

"You may be wondering," the voice from above us echoes. "What you've been hit with. Let's just say- it's a new experiment!"

We know that voice. Deidara.

I'm completely relying on Neji to remain upright, but he doesn't seemed bothered by it. Truly, I hate being helpless, unable to contribute to the mission. However, I can't do anything, and I growl in frustration.

"Are you crying?" Neji asks, his eyes still fixated on Deidara.

"N-No," I quickly respond, although I feel like crying.

There's a pause, while we both watch Deidara grin sickeningly.

And then Neji's lips are near my ears, as if his words must be hidden from Deidara.

"Don't worry," he whispers. "I'm going to get you out of here."

My stomach churns in discomfort. I don't understand what I'm feeling, but, honestly, I have complete trust in Neji at the moment. And that scares me. The only option I have is to roll with it, though.

"The Konoha Intelligence Agency," Deidara scoffs, jumping from the pipes. "Laughable."

He stands in front of us, arms folded, with no visible weapons. Neji, on the other hand, crouches close to the ground with me in his left arm and his gun in the other, pointing at Deidara with ease.

"You don't scare me, Hyuuga," Deidara informs us. "And certainly not you- uh…"

I sigh.

"You don't know my name?"

Deidara shakes his head in amusement.

"But I do know you're the cute girl with the buns whom I met last night. Correct?"

I can't nod. So, I silently mumble a reluctant 'yes' in response.

Deidara runs a hand through his long blonde hair before broadening his already growing smirk. His bright eyes carry only sinister emotions. While he may be attractive, I am utterly terrified of him, and I don't think we're getting out of here alive.

"I think the two buns suite you better," he comments. "The ponytail is too intense for you."

"What is it?" Neji breaks the conversation, motioning to the glow.

Deidara glances over at the large, overflowing tub next to us, full of the green glowing substance. I never even looked at it before. It definitely is the source of the low buzzing in the room. Clearly, the green substance is what poisoned me. But what is it?

"It's a new kind of chemical warfare," Deidara explains with a smirk. "That's all I'll tell you."

"You guys need to get out of there," Shikamaru speaks up. "The others found Sasuke. He's in critical condition right now."

Neji and I say nothing, fixated on Deidara's presence.

"I'll try to find the quickest way out," Shikamaru continues. "Hinata, help the others escape."

I want to strangle Shikamaru and tell him getting out will not be easy or likely.

We have a problem. If not for my paralysis, Neji and I could escape. A combination of our close-long range attack could buy us enough time to flee. However, at this rate I don't think Neji will let me go to even attack Deidara single-handedly.

Deidara's intimidating attractiveness pisses me off. He sits there smirking, knowing our doom only grows with each second.

"Neji," I whisper in a low tone. "Leave me."

His pale eyes shift to meet mine.

"No."

My breathing is ragged.

"You won't get out alive," I mutter. "Be logical here."

Neji's eyebrows are deeply wound together, and his hair slips casually out of his loose bun. He looks entirely exhausted and stressed.

"It's not our protocol to-"

He cuts me off with a hiss.

"You're in this predicament because of me. It's my responsibility to-"

"You two better prepare yourselves," Deidara's cocky voice intervenes in our argument. "I won't go easy because of your handicap."

He straightens, his cloak touching the floor.

Before I can think, Deidara's hands leave his cloak, and Neji shoves me aside. Faintly, I here clanking in the background. Shortly after, my vision is blinded by white light. Smoke consumes my lungs, and my ears are plagued by a deafening boom.

I can't hold in the screech that leaves my throat.

Neji removes his hands from my back, and he thrusts a kunai into the smoke. Another boom echoes throughout the room, then an array of gunshots.

The billowy smoke consists of grey and faint green tones.

I'm laying on the ground, as I have no control over any of my skeletal muscles, and smoke flows over my lifeless body, covering me. I assume Neji hopes that the smoke will camouflage my position while he fights Deidara.

Suddenly, as another loud crash resounds in the room, Neji roughly scoops me up in his arms. He dashes toward the exit, bowing his head so it nearly touches mine as he dodges bullets.

"Turn right!" Shikamaru raises his voice.

Neji follows his instruction, running with extreme haste. I don't blame him, considering a psychopath with explosives is tailing us.

The booming only increases behind us. I wonder if Deidara is trying to blow up the entire building.

"This is bad," Neji mutters.

We're surrounded by darkness because neither of us have flashlights, well, apart from the occasional blinding flashes from behind us that briefly illuminate the hallway.

Then the flash reveals someone sprinting in our direction, gun in hand. Shots ring out in the hallway, and Neji fires directly in front of him,

"Left," Shikamaru suddenly informs us. "Run to the end of the hallway. There should be a stairwell where I've unlocked the door for you. Don't take the elevator because the entire building is coming down."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

The constant shaking of the ground, unstable lighting, and bullets soaring in the air all create an extremely complicated situation- and I can't even help. I am useless in Neji's arms, and I have to trust him to keep me alive.

He sprints to the end of the hallway, reaching the stairwell and thrusting open the door. At this point, there are two enemies shooting from behind us, Deidara blowing up everything as he goes. As Neji climbs the stairs, pieces of the ceiling fall off in massive chunks.

Neji narrowly avoids them, but in the process of doing so he gets shot in the shoulder.

The kind of noise that escapes his mouth is new to me- pained. However, I'm not relishing in that right now.

"Are you alright?" I ask.

He pants, wincing, but still heaves me up the steps. I get no response, but perhaps that's good.

"The exit is at the end of the hallway!" Shikamaru yells.

It sounds like he's losing faith in us, though. The building around us crumbles, and I'm constantly paraded with pieces of it. We're running out of time. We'll be buried alive.

"You cannot escape!" A voice rings from behind us.

Neji continues sprinting, unfazed, even as another shot lands somewhere on his backside. If anything, he runs faster, shielding me from flying debris.

We can see something ahead- an exit.

Suddenly, my ears lose hearing and I can't see. Neji is pushed forward, and we're sent flying. Together, we land harshly, although I can't even feel the impact. But I know it's bad as my body covers Neji's.

My vision slowly returns, although I can't hear anything. We're outside, and I see out of the corner of my eye that the building behind us is only rubble, without a sign of Deidara or the other person pursuing us.

Without my hearing, everything feels so slow. I see Ino sprinting toward us, although it feels like hours until she arrives with the others. They're saying things I can't hear, frantically moving around.

Another car has arrived, and Neji and I are hauled into it. He doesn't look like he's conscious. It's too dark for me to understand anything, and my head hurts immensely.

We're rushed to a hospital where Neji, Sasuke, and I are placed onto stretchers and guided into a room with three cots where we'll be examined.

Tsunade waits there, panicked, wearing a white medic uniform, her hair pulled back.

My hearing slowly returns because I hear Sakura's screeching. She comes running in with her dress and gloves on, assessing all of us, but obviously worrying about Sasuke, sick to her stomach. Tears stain her pale, puffy cheeks.

I can't move my head, but I can slightly see the damage Uchiha received. Blood flows from almost every pore of his lifeless body, and his hair is completely soaked in it, staining the cot mercilessly.

"Tsunade," I manage to mumble quietly.

She turns her attention to me and begins to assess the damage to my body as numerous other doctors and nurses storm into the room.

"I-I am paralyzed-"

But before I can explain what happened my vision fades, and I melt away into unconsciousness.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Sorry it took a while to write. I'm really trying to revise the chapters before I upload them (which, if you don't know me, is an amazing feat). Anyway, I'm trying to, like, figure out the rest of the plot. I don't know if I'm suited for writing action? But I kind of like it. HA. As always, reviews are kindly welcome.


	3. Part III

The first thing I do when my eyes open is twitch my fingers, then thighs, and finally toes. _I can move._ Relief comes with silent weeping. I don't realize I'm crying loudly until someone interrupts me.

"What's wrong?"

I roll my head to the side and stare at the cot next to me where Neji lays. It's hard to read the expression on his face when his eyes are so pale, but I'm just surprised he's talking to me after the situation I caused. His normally pristine, clean face is botched and cut up, with a particularly nasty gash above his right eye.

"I'm relieved," I inform him, my face wet with tears.

The salty liquid stings on my skin, which I guess must also bear cuts and bruises. I'm embarrassed that I can't see how horrible I probably look, especially since my hair is already down in messy tangles.

Neji nods and looks back up at the ceiling. I notice that not all his weight is forced into the cot, as if he's leaning upward slightly.

We're both wearing white and blue hospital gowns, lying in a mostly pale room that's scarcely decorated. Uchiha is on the cot to Neji's left, unconscious.

"Has he woken up yet?" I ask Neji.

"No." His response is bitter.

I can't stand silence between us now that we've acknowledged that we're both awake. Again, I turn my head towards him to continue the conversation.

His hair is completely free of its bun, wrapped around the curves of his body and splayed across the cot. I almost smile because it's kind of cute. And then I remember who he is and the predicament we're in.

"How long have we been in here?" I question.

"A day and a half," Neji responds, this time softer, as if he regrets his previous tone.

I sigh in relief. There's always the fear of waking up in a hospital and having more time passed than imagined- days, months, years. In the life of an agent, nothing is unlikely.

"You know," Neji continues. "Tsunade worked tirelessly to find an antidote for the poison."

"Really?" I wonder with a pang of guilt. "And you were watching?"

Neji sighs.

"All twelve hours."

A wave of shock ripples through my thoughts, followed by immediate guilt.

"You've got to be kidding me," I whisper. "I'll never be able to thank her for that. What about Uchiha?"

Neji quickly glances at Sasuke.

"She left him to Haruno. While he sustained physical injuries that a typical skilled medic could attend to, your case was much more complicated." He pauses. "Besides, I doubt Haruno would've had it any other way."

I nod slightly, looking away. It makes me feel useless- Sakura and Tsunade working tirelessly for us while we do nothing. What amazes me more is the fact that Neji remained conscious for the duration of the healing process. His injuries aren't minor, and he appears ridiculously exhausted, as if he could sleep for days.

Another uncomfortable silence ensues. It almost feels like Neji's waiting for the right moment to saying something. He continuously looks over at me and back at the ceiling.

"What is it?" I ask. "Something wrong?"

Neji looks over at me, and for the first time, I feel like we're truly meeting. His stare is remarkably sincere, causing me to almost look away in surprise, but I don't.

"I'm sorry," he says without breaking eye contact. "I was careless, and it resulted in your predicament."

I'm nearly speechless. _Hyuuga_ is apologizes to me _sincerely_.

"I literally made the decision to do it," I finally respond. "It's not your fault."

"I wasn't aware of my surroundings. I should've noticed earlier-"

I cut him off.

"Why are you so distraught about this, Hyuuga?" I inquire, genuinely curious. "No offense, but I didn't think you gave a shit about me."

"Seeing you unable to move…it was very shocking and…" he trails off, unable to find words.

I still don't believe what's happening in front of me. Neji is absolutely rattled. His face has lost the egotistical aura it once possessed, replaced with genuine remorse.

The corners of my mouth tug upwards. No, I am not mistaken. Guilty Neji _is_ kind of cute.

"You know," I say, changing the subject. "I'm kind of hungry."

"Okay…"

I'm not sure if that is an indirect rejection or if he doesn't understand.

"Wanna go find something to eat?" I continue, attempting to sit upwards.

With great difficulty, I manage to remain upright. He watches me as if I'm stupid, almost disappointing me. However, he follows my action and raises his upper body.

I smile fully.

"Let's go."

Instantly, I regret trying to stand up, but I can't go back after I've suggested it to Neji. And, secretly, I really want to have lunch to talk with him. I think this may be a brief opportunity to _truly_ get to know him. So, I must take advantage of it.

"This kind of hurts," I admit once I'm on my feet. "Why do my limbs hurt so much."

Neji, who is also standing at this point, motions for me to look at them.

I hike up the gown and notice that numerous injections scar my thighs, my arms, my waist- all places where Tsunade injected me with the antidote. The back of my thighs are also slightly burned, as well as my lower back.

At this point, I notice that wrappings reside beneath Neji's gown. Suddenly, I remember that he was shot back when he was saving me. I feel the same guilt he experiences.

"That's-" I point at it.

"It's fine."

A strange understand exists between us.

And with that, we attempt walking to the cafeteria. We exit the room with painful steps, and the farther from the room we get, the closer we move to each other. By the time we reach the cafeteria, we're both leaning on each other for support.

"Let's get in that line," I announce. "Looks like they've got ramen."

Neji wordlessly follows. I _still_ don't believe what's happening. He's listening to me, helping me, following me around.

Once we receive our bowls of ramen we sit at a secluded table. Neji hesitates behind me and then sits on my left side, setting his bowl down calmly. Silently, we rip apart our wooden chopsticks and begin to eat.

"Why did you choose this path?" Neji asks, suddenly.

I set my chopsticks down, slurping the noodles hanging ungracefully from my lips.

"I just…never pictured myself doing anything else," I admit. "I always looked up to agents like heroes I guess."

"Heroes waiting to be slaughtered," Neji darkly adds.

I frown, picking up my chopsticks again.

"It seems like you didn't choose this, then?" I guess.

"Not really," Neji confirms. "It's more of a family thing. We all follow this path."

"You're so good," I counter. "I mean, as an agent you're skilled."

Neji almost smiles, painfully.

"Don't you sometimes feel that we're raised as heroes to just be killed?"

His question causes me to shudder. As agents we can't afford to think that way because it's so destructive mentally, and the only thing we _have_ is our endurance. Without it, we're useless.

"You know," I respond. "I agree that not everyone wants this job. It sucks when our lives are always on the line, especially for strangers. But if we don't do it, then who will?"

Neji slowly nods.

"You're right," he agrees. "I don't know why I'm thinking about this now."

 _Of course_ he's thinking about this now. We almost died, experiencing the most dangerous situation in our careers so far. It was absolutely terrifying, _and_ if we were that close to death then, we'll certainly cross paths with it again.

Because of what happened, something between us changes. Some sort of understanding exists now, previously unheard of. And suddenly, being partners with Neji isn't bad.

We're released from the hospital two days later, while Sasuke still remains unconscious. Neji and I must attend our review with Tsunade, who is definitely eager to find out what happened.

Along with Naruto, Kiba, and Ino, we meet in her office, standing in front of her desk. I'm surprised they didn't inform her of anything immediately after we returned. I guess Tsunade gave them recovery time, even though their injuries weren't significant.

Neji and I relay our information first.

"There was something down there," I say. "Some sort of chemical they were brewing in a large tub."

"We think it's the same chemical used to poison Tenten," Neji adds. "Although, I suspect they may be able to create it in a gaseous form."

"However," I continue. "Considering their entire hideout blew up, I think they may have a larger supply hidden at some other base."

Tsunade nods.

"This is what I suspected," she confirms. "And due to the complex nature of the antidote, it may be impossible to brew it on a large scale. If Orochimaru is alongside the Akatsuki in this and they have that weapon to wield, Konoha is in serious danger."

The grave aura in the room penetrates my mental state, and something hopeless inside of me rises. I feel fear for my life, for my city.

"Also," Neji goes on. "Someone else was there, a person I didn't recognize. He attacked us alongside of Deidara."

"What did he look like?"

"I can't really remember much. It was too dark to see him," Neji remarks. "I think his hair may have been red?"

Tsunade nods in annoyance.

"That would be Sasori. He caused me so many issues in the nineties," she remarks, slamming her fist onto the table. "I can't believe he's resurfaced as well."

"Ma'am, we found Sasuke when he was unconscious," Kiba informs her. "We have no idea who hurt him or exactly when, as he had wounds that seemed fresh, yet they could still bleed from previous torture."

"From what I noticed," Tsunade replies. "They may have been from a while ago. He bled out a considerable amount, most likely over a longer period of time, requiring excessive blood transfusions."

We told her any unspoken information left and then exited her office.

Neji and I are still sore, exhausted, and mentally scarred. What do we plan to do, of course? Train. We walk together in silence to the training room, unsure of what exactly to do once we arrive. I hope he doesn't plan on training close-combat considering his wounded shoulder and my exhausted state (in addition to my lack of skill).

"Is it on your throwing arm?" I wonder.

"The bullets? No, they're both on my left shoulder," he remarks. "One is farther up than the other."

We open the door into our training room, which still hasn't been cleaned since we last used it.

"How about we work on your aim?" I suggest.

I notice the immediate annoyance in Neji's eyebrows, which trickles down to push his mouth into a scowl.

"Are you going to bring this up again?" Neji growls.

I shrug, resisting the temptation to pull his hair out of his bun. One day.

He wears a grey sweatshirt (with the KIA logo) and charcoal sweats. I wear the same sweatshirt. However, I wear athletic leggings beneath them.

"Neji, let's face it," I say. "You and I are exhausted. Neither of us can handle anything strenuous. We _might_ as well do some target practice."

He sighs dramatically- which is truly a comical sight. Then, he scoffs, looks down, and grunts.

There's a pause.

"What was that?" I mumble. "A yes? I don't speak reluctant prodigy. You should say that a little louder."

"I said fine," Neji answers.

I smile in satisfaction. Good. He agreed and didn't call me an idiot.

"Not to sound arrogant," I say. "But I'm clearly superior in this field. So, let's see how you do first."

I set up the targets around the room, making some more difficult to hit than others. Then, I wonder what time limit I should set. Not only should his aim improve, but he needs to be able to process the exact technique to use for each target more quickly. Speed, accuracy, and precision.

Neji takes his stance in the center, while I watch from a distance, already criticizing his posture mentally.

He takes more time than necessary to aim, and he misses many bullseyes. Even if he's off center by a centimeter, I am critical. Depending on the weapon, even a centimeter changes everything.

Take the poison needles for example. I wonder how deadly the poison is when injected directly into a victim's heart. Had the needles been aimed at my chest, a centimeter away from my heart would be enough to keep me alive just a little longer.

I approach him when he finishes.

"It's not bad," I tell him. "But there's so much to improve. And besides, you're a prodigy aren't you?"

"Not really," Neji says in annoyance, but his tone isn't completely hostile.

He looks stressed, and I hope it's because of his lack of superiority, not because his shoulder hurts.

"First thing," I begin, ignoring his sour attitude. "Your stance is _too_ wide. You're not fighting close-combat here. It should be wide enough to hold your ground, but not so much that you lose your agility in the upper half of your body."

Wordlessly (to my delight), he fixes his stance.

"Second thing," I continue. "You use too much arm. You need to use your wrist more when you aim. Your arm is the strength, which you don't need to focus on right now."

I go on to teach him different wrist techniques for kunai and shurikan and other weapons. He's strangely silent, which is relaxing. But, it also raises questions.

Since we came back from the last mission, he's been more compliant with me. Something between us is different- that understanding resulting from the same experience. For some reason, I'm happy because of it.

I notice more things now: the way Neji's hair slips out of his bun and cutely frames his face, the way his left eyebrow curves more than the right, the way he hides smiles. I don't know why, but I notice.

Reaching out, I touch his wrist to change its position, and he flinches. I'm embarrassed because, clearly, I initiated our skin to touch unnecessarily. However, he does nothing to change it. So, I remind myself to cool down, hoping my face stays the same color.

After his aim improves (significantly), I keep talking too much, he keeps responding, and we end up sitting on the ground in the center of the room, ceasing all training.

"You know, I don't care if they come after me, as scary as it is," I say, referring to the Akatsuki. "I'm just terrified that they'll hurt Konoha."

Neji looks confused. While he sits properly with his legs folded, mine are splayed out.

"You care about Konoha that much?"

"I grew up here," I reply. "It's my home. I know it's not a flawless city. I just can't imagine what I'd do without it. It's part of my identity. My parents died when I was two, so I was adopted. And the only thing I know about my parents is that they lived here. So, in a way I feel like a child of the city."

"You're adopted?"

"Yeah," I confirm. "Most people don't know that about me. It's whatever. I don't care. My adoptive parents are cool."

I'm nervous because Neji doesn't respond for at _least_ a minute.

"I didn't know Konoha meant that much," he says. "I never even think about it. Most of my life was spent training with my clan for this very position. It's hard to do your job when you lack empathy for the people you protect."

Looking at the detachment in his eyes, I suddenly understand how he feels. It's almost as if he's doing his job without purpose, regardless of what he really wants to do.

"Do you like it?"

Neji sighs.

"I really don't know."

There's a pause.

"However," he adds in an amused tone. "It has become more interesting in recent months."

I fight the blush down when I realize he's referring to me. I don't understand what's happening. Why is Neji becoming ridiculously attractive with every second that passes? Why does the smile that slowly stretches on his face faze me?

"You know," I say. "You're not indebted to me because of what I did. You don't have to worry about it."

"I do," Neji argues.

He looks serious suddenly, his smile faded into dust.

"Why are you so fed up about it?" I ask in an irritated tone.

His features soften into a somber expression. I almost regret asking. Do I want to know?

"Do you know why I needed a new partner?"

My arms are wrapped comfortably around my legs while I sit, but now they become chilled as my sweat evaporates.

"No…" I say with intrigue, but I didn't really want to know. His tone of voice warned me against it.

"I was partnered with Lee."

"But Lee is-"

"Injured," Neji cuts me off. "I know. His legs may never recover. He saved me, Tenten. And for that, he could lose the ability to walk forever."

I sigh. It makes sense. Neji surely has a reason to be wound up over the ordeal, feeling excessive guilt for my paralysis.

"You're not responsible for anyone else's actions," I tell him. "It's ridiculous. Life is complicated enough as it is."

Neji doesn't respond, but he seems to be thinking about what I said.

I pass the medical wing when returning from training. Catching a flash of pink hair, I slowly backtrack my steps, and Sakura's defeated form appears in my line of vision. She stands bent over on a cot crying.

I've never seen her cry before- she's always hidden it! Because of this, I know that she must be broken beyond repair. It scares me…love. Again, agents can't afford to give in to such weakness. Yet, here Sakura sobs her heart out.

"Hey," I finally approach her.

She shifts and cringes when seeing me. Her mascara stains the collar of her white uniform.

"Tenten…"

"Sasuke isn't-"

Sakura's quiet sigh is enough to silence me.

"No," she remarks. "He's not dead, _yet."_

I nod sadly. She's so distraught that I'm scared. I'm scared for her and for Sasuke. Uchiha and I never really got along well, not that we even talked much, but he's an agent all the same. It's not rare in our line of work to die. However, I haven't seen anyone my age die yet. I don't think I can handle it, no matter how desensitized to killing I may be.

"Why do you love him, Sakura?"

Sakura's green, moist eyes meet mine.

"Because he saved me."

"In what way?"

"No," Sakura argues. "I don't mean this in a mental sense. He literally saved my life. We met when we were fourteen. He pushed me out of the way of an oncoming bus. I mean, we'd always seen each other at the academy but never talked. Then, out of nowhere, he saves my life. Later on, I asked him why. He just laughed and said in a mocking tone 'maybe I liked you' but…" she trails off.

This confuses me. It seems Uchiha does like Sakura but…then why did I save Neji? Sakura's narrative was meant to enlighten me. Yet, I feel more puzzled than before, not understanding my own actions. It's because Neji and I are partners, right?

"I think he likes you," I finally say. "At this point, you can only pray he stays alive."

But I don't believe praying works.

I turn to leave.

"And Sakura, when he wakes up you better kiss the fuck out of him for putting you through this."

Three weeks pass. Sasuke, though still in a coma, has stabilized, making Sakura a more bearable person. Neji and I get along much better: he smiles more, I growl less. We understand and respect each other, creating a smoother approach to teamwork- or so I thought.

I receive a call at three in the morning. My room is dark and cluttered. So, when my phone buzzes off my nightstand and disappears into the mess of clothes on the floor, I don't get to it in time.

When I manage to find it, the screen lights up a large portion of the room, making me squint in discomfort.

Tsunade's name flashes on the screen. I panic. You never want to receive a call from Tsunade at three in the morning. Either you did something wrong, or someone died, or…

I call her back immediately.

"Tenten," she starts immediately after picking up. "Would you like to tell me why your partner has gone rogue?"

"What?" I grumble, still groggy and disoriented.

"Our night analysts picked up on him wandering into strange areas, and then he turned his tracker off after not responding to their continual requests of his activity. Any idea what he's doing?"

I rub my eyes in annoyance. Leave it to Neji to go rogue, especially without telling me. And, of course, Tsunade gets called in the middle of the night, thus ringing me up as well.

"No," I grumble. "Can we worry about it in the morning?"

"You think I'm not tired?!" Tsunade bellows scratchily into the receiver.

I hold the phone away from my face, crinkling my nose with irritation.

"He's barely recovered from his injuries, and he's out doing sketchy, unregistered shit. Tenten, you better be in by six am tomorrow. We're going to discuss all of his activity up until this point and figure out what the fuck he's doing."

 _Click._

* * *

 **Author's Note:** LMAO I FUCKING STARTED COLLEGE. Sorry this is late. I'm busy af like wtf is college. Anyway, I think there will be one to two more parts of this story. It will definitely be finished, but I'll probably be fucking slow cuz for reading though:) As always, review please!


	4. Part IV

I'm groggy as fuck walking into work, considering that Neji's predicament kept me up for the remainder of my short night. For the first time since we became parters, I feel as if we understand each other enough to say what we're planning or thinking. Apparently, Neji is taking matters into his own hands- but what _matters_?

"This doesn't make any sense," Tsunade growls. "He always plays by the book, and this is completely astray from protocol."

I sit in front of her desk in a grey tee shirt and black spandex shorts, my hair messily forced into a lopsided bun.

She still dresses as if she needs to attend several meetings.

"I don't know," I answer, trying to mask the exhaustion in my voice. "Although, this is unusual, Neji has been acting different lately."

"How so?"

I cross my legs.

"He's more laid back and carefree. I mean, he's still rather cold. But there's something softer about him lately," I explain.

"Weird."

I nod in agreement.

Tsunade sits at her desk, rubbing her temples with her eyes closed. She looks completely occupied by every worry in existence. I feel bad, but I know that she thrives under stress and manages to curve any troubles thrown at her.

She dismisses me after learning I could provide nothing else useful.

I leave her office, walking down the steel corridors, when suddenly Lee appears on crutches. It's been at least four months since I have seen him here. Even though he looks determined as ever, there's a sullen aura surrounding him, reflecting the deep sorrow in his soul. A boy, who lives to train, cannot train

"I heard about Neji," Lee solemnly informs me. "I am sorry."

"It's no one's fault," I immediately respond, carefully watching his wide eyes, how they gaze at the floor rather than at me.

"True," Lee agrees. "He is a very difficult person to understand. If only I could understand him more."

I stifle a yawn.

"In what way?" I ask.

"He always seemed so angry- especially when I saved him," Lee remarks. "I do not understand what motivates him."

I think about Neji telling me that this path of life wasn't choice. He seemed so distant then, so indifferent to both his future and his present. I don't think he had motivation; it was something different. Endurance, but with a hint of reluctant acceptance.

"He trains so hard," Lee continues. "But with no heart."

I silently agree.

"I shall see you around, Tenten," Lee says with a nod.

I make a small noise of agreement before leaving. Without thinking, I walk to the cafeteria, with every intention of consuming as much coffee as possible, regardless of any physical consequences to my body.

Shikamaru obviously has the same idea, because I find him dispensing coffee into a really fucking large mug. Reaching for the disposable cups, I give him a nod of acknowledgement. He looks like shit, but I suppose I do, as well.

He groans in annoyance, the bags under his eyes creasing with his scowl.

"Leave it to your fucking boyfriend to go rogue."

"He's not my boyfriend," I correct immediately.

Shikamaru rolls his eyes.

"You're the only girl he talks to, let alone likes," he replies. "Same thing."

I try to ignore the satisfaction I feel when he says that, but it's too evident for me to ignore. Maybe Neji is hot- especially when he's sweaty after training and when hand to hand combat gets a little more intimate than necessary…

"Anyway," Shikamaru clears his throat after the short silence. "It's a pain in _my_ ass. So, I care. Get him back immediately. I'm don't like coming into work early."

"I don't have control over his actions…"

"You're kidding me, right?" Shikamaru says after a long sip of his coffee. "You have more control over him than you think."

I don't know what he meant by saying that but it feels weird. I can only sigh and take a large swig of the piping coffee in an attempt to jolt myself awake, both by burning my mouth and consuming colossal quantities of caffeine.

"In all seriousness, though," Shikamaru changes his tone. "If we don't find Neji quickly, he _will_ die. Sasuke managed to live, and the Akatuski won't make that same mistake twice."

A sliver of fear prickles my mind. The thought of Neji dying is…terrifying.

"So, you think he _is_ going after the Akatsuki?" I assume.

Shikamaru sits down at an empty table and drinks a little more.

"It's no secret to me," he says sighing heavily. "That Neji doesn't like his job. However, he has too much honor to run away. The only explanation is that he's gone after them alone. Why?" He looks at me a little too intensely. "Not exactly sure."

"Don't give me that look," I mutter, standing over him. "What was that for?"

"Neji never would have done this before," Shikamaru logically asserts. "He's only been changing recently since you've been his partner. It must have something to do with you."

I cross my arms in disbelief.

"What? He thinks I'm such a shitty partner that he feels going in alone is better than with me?" I guess sarcastically.

"No," Shikamaru argues. "Not that. It's something else- but I don't know _what_ it is."

It's unsettling, what he says, but for some reason it makes sense. Neji would never do something as stupid as this suicide mission. And he's only been acting more different since he met me. But, what possible motivation could he have for doing this?

Suddenly, the sound of feet slamming into the ground echoes through the hallway. Shikamaru and I whip our heads and catch a flash of Sakura's pink hair as she sprints down the hallway. A flurry of people follow her, including Tsunade charging forward in high heels. A shuffle of medics scurry in their wake.

"Could it possibly be-" I glance at Shikamaru.

"Sasuke…" he finishes.

We both stumble up from the table and abandon our coffee, following the trail of people.

Everyone crowds around Sasuke's cot in the medical wing of the building. I fight past spectators to get to the edge of the bed, where Sakura leans over Sasuke, whose hand is entangled in her hair as she cries.I don't believe what I'm seeing.

After a few minutes of muddled disorder, Tsunade and Sakura manage to get everyone to leave the room except for Naruto, Shikamaru and I, since we were on the mission to retrieve him.

Sasuke doesn't look very happy from his weakened position on the cot. However, there's something that looks like relief in his eyes.

Sakura has regained composure, but Naruto is more dramatic than expected.

"Took you long enough to wake up," he growls. "You can't just fuckin' worry us by staying asleep that long. There's shit to do-"

"You should see how stupid you look," Sasuke cuts him off, with a hint of a smirk.

"Why you-"

Sakura slaps him in the back of the head.

"Naruto, could you just shut up for once," she growls. "Of all times."

"Lady Tsunade," Sasuke says, ignoring their spat. "Sasori is with them."

Tsunade closed her eyes in annoyance.

"As I suspected."

Sasuke continues to relay various information regarding what was in the hideout (prior to it blowing up, or course). He informs us that they were experimenting with several types of chemical warfare methods, deciding the most destructive and most easily administered was what I had been poisoned with.

"It's good I know how to make an antidote," Tsunade comments. "However, it was extremely complicated to make just a small amount. If they're planning an attack of some sort, I'll need to mass produce it and transport it…"

"A perfect weapon," Sasuke says, nodding painfully. "Unfortunately, they did not unveil their plan. But I suspect a very large attack, judging by their production of the poison."

His news is grim, but we expected nothing less.

We decide to leave so Sakura can talk to Sasuke, and I swear as I leave the room I see him grab her hand.

"Where's Ino?" I ask Shikamaru as we leave the room.

Shikamaru leads us, turning left in the direction of the analyst headquarters.

"Why would you think I know that?" He asks.

"Well, don't you like her?" I wonder out loud, almost regretting it.

However, I remind myself that this is Shikamaru: what's he gonna do to me if he gets angry? He may be stronger physically, but my field experience renders me as the better opponent.

I almost laugh at myself picturing a fight between Shikamaru and me. He's too lazy to throw a single punch.

"Ino?" Shikamaru scoffs. "I've just known her for a long time, okay?"

"Had a crush on her for a long time?" I tease.

Shikamaru hesitates, and I know that I've already won. Ino is Shikamaru's childhood crush, and he's confused because of his past feelings for her.

"I just care about her," Shikamaru clarifies. "Like normal human beings, I have the capacity to show compassion."

Still, something in his eyes holds regret.

"Shikamaru," I remark. "Just be honest with me. What am I going to do? Tell everyone about it? This isn't Junior High, calm down."

Shikamaru glances upwards with a bitter look on his face, full of contemplation and reluctance. He stops walking and leans against the steel wall, stuffing his free hand into his pocket.

"I followed Ino here," he admits. "I'd considered entering the Academy briefly, but I eventually shot down the idea, concluding it was too much work."

I nodded, affirming that the story fit his personality.

"However, Ino always talked about wanting to do something meaningful, or some shit like that," Shikamaru continues. "So, of course she made the decision to enter the Academy. Not only did I feel this _annoying_ need to watch out for her, but I felt guilty because I wasn't doing something _meaningful,_ as well."

I'm almost too shocked to nod. Knowing Shikamaru, I can't imagine the strength of what he feels for Ino, prompting him to put so much effort into a strenuous and dangerous job, with only a moderate reward. He doesn't just "care" for her. He loves her.

"Okay," I comment. "You should tell her how you feel. I don't mean now or soon or anything. Just, eventually."

I expect Shikamaru to be hostile to the idea, but he proves me wrong.

"Maybe," he says. "We'll see."

I spend the next few hours training, thinking that the more sweat I drench myself in, the less I have to think about Neji. However, every time I look up after intensely working, I'm reminded that Neji's not there to make an unnecessary remark, to smirk at my immense struggle to stay on my feet after training with him.

Picking myself up off the floor, I let out a frustrated growl. He's gone, leaving me to train in peace, and the only thing I can think about is him. I failed to realize earlier how much our partnership actually meant to me.

Even if we argued, I valued the understanding between us, which lead to awkward, close encounters in training (that I secretly liked).

"How could you just leave," I mutter to myself. "We were just starting to work well together."

Sighing, I sit on the ground in defeat, resting my chin on my palm and my elbow on my knee. Even though I wasn't training with Neji, I still feel ridiculously exhausted.

I start to remember a conversation I had with him after we trained about protecting Konoha from the Akatsuki. _There's no way that Neji…_ The idea that he could've done this for me creeps into my mind. It's impossible and ludicrous but…I can't stop thinking about it.

As much as I love junk food, I value fresh produce above all other things. As I wander around the farmer's market, I imagine what it would be like to shop with Neji, knowing we'd argue over everything, but it'd be so amusing.

It's annoying, constantly thinking about him, but he keeps popping into my mind, uninvited. I find it unnerving that he's not even here, yet he occupies my thoughts. And then, I'm worried. What did that idiot get himself into?

I buy some fresh tomatoes and cucumbers before strolling to where the flowers are, breathing in their refreshing fragrance. Saturday morning farmer's market run…nothing like it.

I'm negotiating with a seller of thai peppers when my cell phone rings. I apologize to the woman before looking at the caller. My face feels numb when I see Tsunade's name flash on the screen. A call from her is usually never good, especially in my recent experience.

"Tenten," Tsunade sighs. "You better get over here soon. I know it's your first Saturday off in almost three weeks but this important. There's something you need to listen too."

By the time I reach the KIA headquarters, sweat soaks my face and chest. I had sprinted 15 minutes to get there (after failing to hail a cab, twice), and my sweater and jeans, hardly fit for running in, allowed for no ventilation.

Although I arrives as a mess, no one notices. Everyone briskly walks past me, no eye contact, no acknowledgement. The aura is so tense, so thick, I feel suffocated, in addition to my overheated body.

With haste, I pace to Tsunade's office, where a small crowd has gathered. Even from far away, I hear Tsunade's raspy, stressed voice.

"What's wrong?" I demand, pushing past people.

Tsunade stands behind her desk with one palm supporting her weight on the surface. I'm almost surprised when I see her, though. Unlike usual, her demeanor isn't exactly angry: it's worried, stressed, tense, but it lacks fury?

There's a hint of sorrow, and that scares me.

"Tsunade," I softly say, amongst the loud people, whom I can't understand.

"Everyone leave," Tsunade sighs. "Except Tenten. I will make a formal announcement about we're going to do. Until then, resume your work."

I suddenly see Sakura on the opposite side of the room. She approaches me before leaving, putting a hand on my shoulder with a solemn expression.

I'm too riled up to sit down when everyone leaves, and Tsunade remains standing, as well.

"Listen to this," she says, pressing the space bar on her laptop.

 _"The time is currently 0840 hours,"_ Neji's voice is staticky. _"Sorry for all the trouble, Tsunade…"_ There's a lengthy pause. " _Tenten. I decided that this is the only way to protect Konoha. I've infiltrated their supply's location. The chemical will be used in a gaseous state and administered through the sewers and pipes in the city. I'm going to try to shut it down from within. However, if I don't-"_

His voice cuts off with a loud thud and ringing gunshots. Fear slices through me mercilessly.

"I-Is he…"

"We can only assume the worst," Tsunade replies shutting her eyes. "We haven't had any more contact with him in the past half hour."

I collapse onto the chair facing her desk, feeling nothing except for emptiness and desperation. My head falls into my hands with a mixture of sweat and tears. He can't be dead. He can't be dead. He can't be dead _because_ of me. There's no other reason he would…

"The problem," Tsunade says. "Is that we need as many people as we can to secure the city and figure out how to evacuate and somehow block the gas, not to mention administering and creating the antidote…"

"But," I continue for her. "If there is the possibility that we could shut it down from the inside before it happens…"

"Except, we can't afford to send people out to do it," Tsunade says in aggravation. "We'd need at least a full squad of our strongest in order to infiltrate. However, we need the strongest to stay and protect the city."

Immediately, without thinking, I respond, "I'll go."

"You absolutely cannot," Tsuande argues. "You will die. Just like Neji."

"We don't know he's dead!" I shout.

We're both standing now, my face is wet and Tsunade's is contorted.

"I know you want to rescue him and save the city," Tsunade calmly says after a short period of silence. "But it's a suicide mission. You can't go alone, and we can't afford to send anyone with you."

"Tsunade," I quickly remark, asserting my dominance. "Where was the location of Neji's transmission?"

"Dammit, Tenten!"

She rubs her temples, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Fine. If you have a death wish, it's not my fault. I will send you out," she reluctantly gives in. "Shikamaru is currently trying to decipher a location radius from the transmission. Go to the analyst headquarters. I'm going to make an announcement there. We don't have any time. For all we know, they could already be poisoning the city."

I'm shaking as I leave her office, feeling so out of place and emotional. Everything seems hazy and insubstantial, suddenly.

Tsunade makes an announcement over the loud speaker to gather in the analyst headquarters. Other agents and employees brush past me, all heading in the same direction. As every person in the building hastens together, the traffic in the hallway thickens.

I find my place next to Shikamaru at his computer. He hardly notices me, his eyes fixed on the screen. I vaguely recognize what he's doing, as it has been over a year since I've taken an IT class. I place a shaking hand on his shoulder.

He looks over at me and analyzes something in my face because he takes my hand off my shoulder and holds it.

"Don't worry," he says. "I'm going to find him."

Before I can say anything, Tsunade's booming voice overtakes the chatter in the room.

"Now, I don't want anyone panicking," Tsunade announces. "We can't afford mistakes because there's a lot of shit to do. We have recent intel that there will be a chemical warfare attack on Konoha, via the sewers and pipelines. I want all of the medics, under the instruction of Sakura, whom I taught, to create massive quantities of the antidote for the poison. The analysts are to, if possible, shut down any major pipelines without creating buildup. I will send out emails within the hour for other assignments involving evacuation and securing the sewer system. I would like a word with Tenten and Shikamaru; everyone else is dismissed."

The buzz of nervous excitement and fear electrifies the room as everyone shuffles around in response to Tsunade's orders.

Shikamaru and I approach her.

"The only reason I'm sending you, Tenten," she says. "Is because I know you'll go regardless of whether I let you or not."

I'm aware of that.

"Shikamaru, once you discover the radius of his location, you are to guide Tenten," Tsunade says. "It's probably better to keep this on the down low, considering it's controversial.

We both nod.

"You are both dismissed."

Shikamaru shuffles away but Tsuande catches my shoulder as I turn to go change.

"Tenten," her expression is softer now. "Bring Neji back."

* * *

Author's Note: Lmao this is longer than I thought? Haha oh well. Still dying at college. Still writing. Nothing's new. Please review :)


	5. Part V

Part V

The skintight clothing is uncomfortable because I'm still sweaty from running all the way from the farmer's market, not to mention my grimy face, staring back at me in the mirror. I pull my hair up into two buns on either side of my head, securing them with bobby pins, working as fast as I can. I know that I don't really have any time.

I can't stop thinking about Neji being selfless _for me_. I'm so terrified that something will happened to him and I'll get there too late. The weight of responsibility heavily crushes my mind, yet strengthens my willpower.

Once I'm done changing, I strap my handgun, knives, and flashlight to my waist. I almost want to take more weapons but I need to remain light on my feet for stealth.

Once he determines the radius, Shikamaru and I meet up in Tsunade's office, while she briefly reminds him that his mission is to guide me and help me shut down any software that may be controlling the flow of the poisonous gas.

"And Tenten, your life is more important than finding Neji's body," Tsunade explains. "If you can't find him, don't waste your time. I _cannot_ have two dead agents."

I nod grimly, unacquainted with the fact that I may not be looking for him but for his body.

"It will be difficult to control every operation, but I'll be watching out of for you," she says looking into my eyes sincerely.

"I know you will."

She slips a vial into my hand, the antidote.

"Thank you."

She nods.

"Dismissed."

She says it with hesitation, as if she fears it's the last time I'll hear it.

Shikamaru grabs my arm as we leave her office.

"I'll be in your ear the whole time," he informs me.

"I know," I remark. "Now, that radius?"

"Yeah," he says. "I'm sending it to your cell phone now."

He takes a seat at his desk, nodding at me before I jog down the hall out of sight. On my way out of the building I grab the keys to my favorite compact car.

I locate it in the parking garage and slip inside, pulling out my cell phone. I don't recognize the location Shikamaru sends me. It just looks like a large area in the middle of nowhere.

"You sure about that?" I ask him, holding my earpiece. "There's nothing recognizable here."

"Positive," he answers. "I don't know what's there but that _is_ the last area of his last location."

I sigh in response.

"Alright."

I drive way too fucking fast but at this point I'm so on edge I don't care. The closer I get to my designated location the less concentrated everything around me becomes. I end up at a dead end at the edge of the city, with few buildings around me.

The surroundings mostly consist of sunken trees and broken road.

I park the car and get out, pocketing my keys and holding up my cell phone. Neji was last seen this morning around here.

"Do we have _any_ other clues?" I ask Shikamaru, noticing that the ground around me is slightly wet.

I stand on loose, moist gravel under a darkening sky, surrounded by nothing particularly conspicuous. I am stumped. It's inconceivably frustrating because all I can feel is the haste of the situation, but I can do nothing to quicken the rescue.

"I don't see anything," Shikamaru apologizes. "I'm sorry."

I walk around a bit, completely baffled by how normal everything seems. Although, it is strangely quiet.

"I hate just standing here doing noth-"

The sound of trickling stops me. I look below me, realizing I'm standing on a sewer.

"Shikamaru, I've got an idea."

"That's gross," he mutters. "But you're out of options."

I bend down and heave the lid of the sewer upwards. Setting it down next to the hole, I peer downwards into the darkness. I take my flashlight out and illuminate the passage below, observing the safe distance.

I notice the water below and secure my cell phone in a water proof case before strapping it to my waist again.

"Going down."

I slip through the hole and land ungracefully in shin-deep water.

"Does it smell like shit?" Shikamaru asks in amusement.

"Shut up," I grumble.

I start to run as fast as I can, safely, through the water, but already find frustration in the maze of the sewer. The confusion of the layout is a good sign, though, as annoying as it is.

I constantly remind myself that Neji's life is in my hands as the sewage gets fouler and thicker. It climbs to my waist and wading in it becomes challenging.

Suddenly, I face a wall with a small box planted near the top.

"I don't understand how I'm supposed to get to that," I say to Shikamaru. "I suspect that's the key to the way out."

"Interesting," Shikamaru comments. "I think it's wired to a computer. I'm going to try to see if it opens something."

I look at the revolting water I stand in, flashing the light on the foggy, indistinguishable surface.

"Well, I'll just wait here then."

While I impatiently wait, the screeching sound of grinding equipment erupts from the ceiling. Suddenly, a stream of water shoots downwards and plunges into the pool I'm already standing in. The flow is tenacious and wide. I gasp, stepping backwards from the widening stream.

"Shit, shit, Shikamaru! What the fuck is happening?"

"HOW SHOULD I KNOW?"

I look behind me and see that the path from which I entered is blocked now, as if it never existed, and the water level starts to rise rapidly.

"FUCK I'M GOING TO DROWN!" I cry as the water already reaches my neck, filling up the room much more quickly than physics should allow.

The rate at which the water flows only seems to increase. This spikes my panic, and it pushes me to swim around the room checking for possible exits.

I quickly approach the ceiling, trying to see if I can somehow exit from where the water enters, but I know I wouldn't be able to swim against the current of the water pouring in.

"Shikamaru! An idea right now would be _fantastic_!"

"I'm trying! I'm trying! I think I can get something to open. I just need more time!"

"Currently running out of time!" I holler, rising to the ceiling rapidly, close enough that I can touch it.

"Hang in there! Hold your breath!"

Once the water reaches the ceiling I completely submerge, managing to take one last breath before going under.

Shimaru's voice sounds like static in my ear, or maybe I just can't hear him over my panic. It takes effort to keep my mouth shut, keeping the grimy water out and the air in. I lift the flashlight and squeeze my eyes open.

The filthy water stings my eyes and is too murky too see anything more than three feet in front of me. I charge towards the wall and run my hands along it, then run the flashlight up and down the length of it, searching for the box.

I can hear my own heart beating against my ribcage, and also the vague sound of Shikamaru shrieking at me to get to the box.

My hands reach its rusted edges, and I almost rejoice.

"3-3-6-5-4-7" Shikamaru repeats the numbers so many times I don't know where they begin or end, so I start panicking again as I fumble to open the lid of the box.

Once I manage to break it open with shaking fingers, I punch the numbers in incorrectly at least six times. However, with my luck, seventh time's the charm.

The box turns, revealing a circular entry where water floods out and pushes me through with it. I slide down a tunnel with the current, taking in a massive breath of air and shrieking at Shikamaru to shut the opening.

With increasing speed, the water shoves me outwards and into the air. I'm too out of breath to scream, but I silently pray I don't fall to my death.

I land on my side, with a long roll. The force of the impact causes me to cough up the water I swallowed in the process of escape.

"Are you alright?" Shikamaru asks.

"Yes," I barely manage. "I'm fine."

I sit halfway upwards, spitting out water and breathing heavily when someone's voice interrupts my thoughts.

"Tenten?"

It's a weaker version of a voice I know.

I lunge upwards in the direction of the voice's origin, a dark corner, with a lone sunken figure.

Neji's long hair blocks his face, also shielding a large portion of his unmoving body that sits in a pool of blood. There's some sort of strange device strapped to his arm and chained to the wall.

The moment I confirm it's him I slide over on my knees to his depressed body and lift up his chin, taking a look at his grimy, beat up face. The sheer intensity of the moment combines with my unstable emotions, and I kiss him.

Initially, he seems too surprised to do anything but suddenly his lips move against mine, and he sighs into me.

"Goddammit, Hyuuga," I grumble, pulling away. "See what I have to go through for you?"

"As nice as this moment is for me," he remarks slowly, his face contorting in pain. "You've endangered yourself coming after me, and it's for nothing."

I slowly take a seat next to him against the wall.

"Shikamaru, I got him."

"Did you just _kiss_ him?" he drawls in my earpiece.

"Maybe…"

As terrible as Neji looks, he seems happy to see me even though I've "endangered" myself.

"Alright, what is that?" I point at the device strapped to his arm, suddenly realizing how cold I am in my soaking clothes.

"This device, if removed, will jumpstart their plan and release the poisonous gas," Neji informs me. "Once the gas is released, whether through this device or by the Akatsuki themselves, I'll die."

I touch the device carefully and turn his arm over, noticing that the back is clawed into the first layer of his skin. His blood seeps around the strap.

"Shikamaru, I've got a task for you," I say, pulling my phone out of its case. "I need to you to break a code."

Using a special app designed by the KIA, I scan the device and send all the information to Shikamaru.

"Getting it now…" he says with a pause. "Tenten, this is pretty complicated."

"Neji's life is on the line for this," I explain. "We need to get it off."

Neji sighs, shaking his head.

"I'm probably going to die either way, Tenten," he argues. "There's no point in trying to save me when the city's at risk."

I look over at his defeated face and shake my head in disagreement.

"Tsunade's protecting the city. I'm here to save you and try to shut things down from the inside. But I'll need your help to do that, if you're capable that is. Do you have any pressing wounds?"

Neji softly laughs.

"Well, I do have another gunshot wound."

"Fucking hell, Neji," I groan at his inability to stay safe. "Where is it?"

He lifts up his shirt, revealing a relatively shallow wound on his hip. I gently touch it, ignoring his reproach of pain. I take out some extra bandages and seal it temporarily by wrapping around his waist and hip.

"Sakura's going to need to do stitches on that later," I say. "But this should do for now."

"Thanks…"

He looks at me with such a strange intensity that I turn away. Although I feel the heat of his gaze, I refuse to make eye contact.

"How's it going Shikamaru?" I ask.

"Not _great_ , but getting there. Do you have a miniature tool kit? Like with small screwdrivers and stuff?"

"No," I remark. "But I have a pen."

"That may do…" Shikamaru trails off. "All we need is a small tip."

Neji and I silently wait for Shikamauru to finish figuring out how to get the device off. Finally, I meet Neji's gaze.

"You look cold," he comments with an unreadable expression, although his voice sounds concerned.

"I am."

"Sorry."

I laugh, almost too hard.

"It's not your fault," I remark. "I'm just here to save your ass."

He doesn't like my joke, and he grunts.

"Lighten up," I murmur, taking his hand that isn't held hostage. "Think about it this way. We're going to be the Akatsuki's most wanted. How badass is that?"

Neji chuckles.

"We work for an intelligence agency," he replies. "Isn't that badass enough?"

"True."

We hold hands quietly, to my comfort, until Shikamaru finishes.

"Tenten, I'm sending you the data on your cell phone. The green dots are on the circuit board beneath the top lid of the device. They're more like indents actually. You need to press on those indents in the order I sent you."

I slide my cell phone out, analyzing the complicated pattern in front of me.

"How am I supposed to differentiate these?" I ask. "They all look the same."

"I know," Shikamaru groans. "You _cannot_ mess it up either, or he's dead."

"Cool."

Holding on to Neji's wrist, I pry the lid off the device, almost panicking that the whole thing might explode. The convoluted circuit board is revealed, and I swallow my fear. Neji will die if I don't do this.

"Tenten," Neji whispers. "I trust you. But, is that a pen?"

"Yep," I answer, gripping the pen with shaking hands and holding my phone next to the device, trying to compare the circuit boards.

After a good two minutes, I figure out where the first one is.

"Wait, are you sure?" Neji asks.

"I thought you said you trust me."

"Okay, to be honest I wouldn't even trust _myself_ to do this," Neji remarks.

"Good to know."

I compare the two images again until I'm _positive_ I'm correct.

"I'm gonna do it."

I gently press the pen into the indent on the board. When nothing destructive happens, I assume that I'm correct. Once the first one is done, it's easier to find the other ones relative to it.

It's a slow process but I eventually free Neji of the device in fifteen minutes. The claws slowly retract from his wrist, allowing it to bleed freely and profusely. I toss the device to our side and immediately attend his bleeding wrist, wrapping it tightly in cloth and securing it with safety pins.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"Yes, thank you."

I help him stand, making sure he's healthy enough to move on. His hand is placed over his hipbone in pain, which causes me to worry, but he assures me he's fine.

"Okay, I think-"

The sound of bustling water cuts me off, coming from the tunnel I fell through. It roars louder and louder until it busts through the cap and pours into the room like a ferocious tidal wave.

Fuck.

Author's Note:LMAO I know how long it's been but I've been slowly writing this over the course of these long months. Don't worry I'll finish it ahaha. I'm just getting destroyed by college.


	6. Part VI

I grab Neji's arm and we tear down the tunnel in an attempt to escape the water. The flow gets stronger and infused with some sort of scent.

"Tenten!" Shikamaru yells. "It's started! The poison has been released, and it will overrun the tunnel quickly. If you don't get out, you will die!"

"Got it!"

We sprint as fast as we can down the tunnel, but the water quickly catches us and sweeps our bodies into its current.

I don't know if it's infused with the poison, but I feel my body weakening with every accidental ingestion of water.

"Neji!"

He grabs my waist, pulling me tightly towards him so we ride the current together.

"The poison has been released! Konoha-"

"Look for a black door!" He yells over me. "We need to go through a black door."

I try to concentrate on my surroundings but I can barely see or move. Thankfully, Neji's grip on me is tight.

Suddenly, we submerge underwater, and I don't know if it's Neji's doing or if we've just lost control. We both make a desperate flee toward the wall together. I recall in my training the physics we learned about fluid moving through a pipe, how the water flows fastest in the center and slowest near the walls.

He grips onto something, with his other arm around my waist. Although there's a substantial force pushing us out, the current is noticeably lighter than before. Neji strains with his grip, but he manages to pull something open and shove us through.

We fall into a darkened room with a pale light in the distance. I lay and cough up water for a few seconds, not realizing Neji and I are still clinging onto each other…suddenly realizing that I don't feel anything.

"N-Neji-" I gasp. "Can you…feel?"

"No." His tone clearly tries to restrain panic.

"Tenten, use the antidote!" Shikamaru yells in my ear.

I use my last movements in my arms to grab the vial strapped to my waist. As quickly as possible, I flick off the cap, revealing a long, thin needle, and stab it into my thigh, waiting until half the antidote drains.

Then, I use the remaining substance on Neji, making sure to get a nod before I proceed to stab him as well.

"That was a good save," Neji admits. "But now we're going to have to be extra careful. We can't afford any more encounters with that poison."

I nod in agreement, and we both stand to evaluate our surroundings more thoroughly. We should've done it in the first place, and by not doing so we violated important protocol. However, we were too caught up in our paralyzing panic to do anything.

Once we determine no immediate danger around us after flashing our lights on barren walls, we approach the light up ahead. In silence, we observe what appears to be three, massive computers, all shaped like towers.

"Okay," I start. "I don't know what to do with these. Shikamaru?"

"Working on it," Shikamaru buzzes in my ear. "We've got important things to worry about. The poison's been released."

We approach the large computers, and I notice the intricate code on the screen is blinking as the computer hums with life.

"I don't think simply stabbing or shooting it is going to shut this down," I guess.

"No," Shikamaru agrees. "In fact, it's built so if anything is messed with the whole sewer complex blows up."

"How convenient," Neji notices, but winces with each word.

"I thought I killed you," an annoyed yet amused voice muses from behind us. "Oh well, no shame in a second try."

Deidara stands several yards behind us in his traditional robes, smirking menacingly.

Neji and I immediately stand in a defensive position, but I notice that Neji has trouble in his weakened state.

"I gotta admit," Deidara continues. "You two are my favorite. This cute nameless one-" he points at me. "And her easily vexed partner."

Neji's finger prods his gun but I elbow him.

"You need to work on the computer," I murmur. "You can't fight him in this state."

"Neither can you," Neji counters. "Your close range combat is not nearly as good as mine."

"It'll have to do."

The look Neji gives me is beyond incredulous, even though I'm sure he knows I'm right. After a few moments of silent arguing in the form of glaring at each other, Neji eventually steps back, and I, in turn, step forward.

"Oh please," Deidara laughs. "I can easily take both of you at once. This girl right now? What a joke."

I shake my head to prove I'm not joking.

"Where's your weapon?" I question.

Deidara bellows out another laugh, and tosses his knife and gun on the floor next to him.

"I won't need it."

He charges toward me with one swift movement before I have time to react. I'm too close to Neji, so instead of stepping out of the way, I push forward, straight into his kick.

It lands against my stomach, but I still manage to push him away from the computers.

Immediately I'm engaged in hand-to-hand combat, without a chance to grab for my gun. Deidara is quicker and more experienced than even Neji, so needless to say, I'm losing.

He grabs my right wrist and pulls me in, landing a hit straight onto my chest. It takes me a few seconds to free my wrist and parry another one of his attacks aimed toward my center. He's ruthless and aggressive, yet still in control. I cannot land a single blow, except for some useless swipes at his shoulders. We haven't even been fighting two minutes and he's already damaged several places on my body.

In the background, Shikamaru rapidly fires several complex instructions to Neji for disarming the computers controlling the flow of poisonous gas.

"This is a joke," Deidara says with finality, as one of his blows sends me straight into the wall next to the computers.

In my dizzied state, I barely see him approach Neji. The only thing I can do is leap forward and knock him out of the way.

He growls in annoyance.

"Now I'm irritated."

He gets up, and before I can even close in a punch, he has his arm wrapped around my neck and a gun to my head.

"Thought you didn't want to fight that way," I say, struggling against his arm.

"Sorry, but I can't afford you two weaklings shutting down such a systematic operation."

Neji, with one hand on the computer still, turns and fixates his eyes on me.

"If you don't want her to die, Hyuuga, step away from the computer."

Immediately, I remark, "It doesn't matter Neji. The city is more important than my life."

But inside, I struggle with the fear of death, the cold gun pressed against my head so carelessly.

"You're running out of time," Shikamaru hums in our earpieces. "The city is still under attack. There are two more things to do."

Shikamaru continues his instructions while my eyes turn to Deidara's thigh, which is next to one of my hands. He'll definitely notice if I try to grab my gun, too obvious and too hard to use quickly. My knife is on the other side of my belt and that would take to long to get to. The only thing next to my hand is the empty antidote syringe and needle.

It isn't enough to injure him much. But the needle is long, and it hurts going in. It is also well concealed.

Neji nearly stands up and moves away from the computer when I maneuver quickly. I grab the needle and shove it into Deidara's thigh.

He recoils immediately, with another give in his arm for me to push through it and release myself.

"Jesus Christ," he growls, pulling the needle from his leg and dropping it.

Before he can situate his gun again, I shoot him without hesitation. For some strange reason, as blood oozes out of his chest, he gives me an eerie smile, before collapsing onto the floor.

"Almost got it," Neji says.

I'm almost too haunted by the look Deidara gave me before dying to respond, but then Neji hits something and the whirring of the machines slows to a halt.

Shikamaru's excited yelling is loud enough for me to pull the earpiece halfway out of my ear.

"Well this is good, right?" I say.

But of course, in my line of work, you should never speak too soon.

The familiar sound of rushing water pummeling through tunnels resonates loudly in the chamber.

Neji instinctively grabs my hand as we charge for the exit.

"The shutdown of the gas probably involves cleansing with the water," Shikamaru explains quickly. "The whole sewer system will be completely flooded. You'll need to leave a different way before the water gets in there."

Neji and I run back toward the middle of the room.

"Okay, well any ideas?" Neji asks, clearly annoyed that even when things go right, they go wrong.

Water starts pouring into the room from the hole where we came in, and as per usual, we are about to drown. Again.

We stand close to each other in the middle of the room.

"They couldn't have picked a better location?" I wonder.

"Okay, there's a hatch at the top of the room," Shikamaru explains. "The water should take you to the top and you'll be able to get out that way."

"And if the hatch doesn't open?" Neji questions. "Then we're really screwed. We'll drown."

"There's no other way!" Shikamaru fires back.

Our bodies start lifting from the floor as more water pours in rapidly. We hold onto each other's arms tightly, in a desperate attempt to not separate in the icy, black water.

It's almost too dark to see the hatch quickly approaching, but before we can even touch it, water rushes up and hits the ceiling. We're completely submerged.

The rusty wheel hardly budges when Neji attempts to unscrew it. I latch my hands onto it and also attempt to pull.

It takes another twenty seconds for it to finally give, and when it pushes open, my heart sinks. More water above us.

I don't know how much longer we'll last.

Neji swims forward through it and then pulls me through.

I'm so panicked and out of breath, I don't think I'll make it, but I swim upwards anyway, thinking if I die, I at least better die trying.

The dark, murky water somehow feels different though. However, I'm hopeless as we kick farther upwards and remain underwater.

Suddenly, something brushes past my leg. Slimy. A fish.

We're in the lake.

With sudden ferocity and motivation, I push upward. Although I have little strength and no air in my lungs, I know there's an exit.

And almost with perfect timing, we break through the surface of the water, gasping for air.

My lungs burn as I choke and gasp for air, but I'm refreshed with the fact I'm alive. Neji grips my shoulder tightly while we tread water and catch our breath.

We both lost our earpieces at some point on the way up.

It's too dark to locate where the shore is so we swim in the direction of our best guess. It's tiring after what we already went through, but we're happy enough to be alive and the propels us forward.

Eventually flashing lights and a chopper illuminate a perimeter around us. I look up in relief as it slowly descends to hover above the lake.

A ladder drops down a few yards away from us.

We swim over and Neji wordlessly helps me on first and closely follows as I climb up.

I fall into the chopper, sliding into a seat, where Neji slips in next to me.

"I cannot believe you two are alive," Ino Yamanaka greets us, kneeling on the ground with her medical kit ready to examine us.

"Me neither," I say.

Neji and I get cots next to each other in the medical wing of the KIA. We haven't said much since we survived, but as always a mutual understanding keeps the feelings between us afloat. The exhaustion after a mission usually does that to agents.

We were soon joined by many other agents, most without as severe injuries, but many recovering from poison.

"You two," Tsunade sighs, walking in.

Her blazer is ruffled and her expression tired.

"I know I know," I mumble. "We're stupid."

"Stupid?" Tsunade repeats. "Yes. However, the poison only reached a fifth of the city. If it weren't for you, we'd need quadruple the hospital space and twice as much of the antidote. The city will be forever indebted to you two."

In the hallway outside, I notice Ino and Sakura frantically running around between different infirmaries.

"While we did save the city," Neji finally speaks. "There's no word to where Orochimaru and the others are?"

"Correct," Tsunade confirms. "We may have destroyed their underground operation, but they're still out there."

That doesn't sit well with me, but I remember it's why we're here.

Months later, and I still can't beat Neji in hand-to-hand combat, and perhaps I never will. Another training session, another day I'm on the ground, sweaty, pressed against the wall. However, it's a bit different this time.

Neji offers his hand out to me, with the hint of a smirk on his face. I look up at it, and tentatively put my hand in his. With an unnecessary large amount of force, he yanks me upwards, pulling me too quickly and too far forward, until I smash into his lips.

When I recoil in shock, his full smirk unfolds on his face.

"Neji!" I hiss. "There are _cameras_!"

"Are there?" He asks.

The look in his face makes me want to lean forward again, though.

"Well, let's go somewhere without them."

 **Author's Note: Jesus christ I finally finished this story. I'm sorry it took so long. Literally did not realize that college would do that to me lmao I'm sorryyyyy. But as usual, I finished my story. Reviews are warmly welcomed :)**


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